... Research and development in bimetallic nanoparticles have gained great interest over their monometallic counterparts because of their distinct and unique properties in a wide range of applications such as catalysis, energy storage, and bio/plasmonic imaging. Identification and characterization of these bimetallic surfaces for application in heterogeneous catalysis remain a challenge and heavily re ...

... This study examines the formation of circulation patterns favorable to wintertime extreme precipitation events over South China between 1979 and 2013. During these extreme precipitation events, a barotropic wave train having seven centers of action was observed to extend from the Arabian Sea to the west coast of the North American continent with a maximum amplitude at 300 hPa. A center of action l ...

... Selective oxidation of olefins to α,β-unsaturated ketones under mild reaction conditions has attracted considerable interest, since α,β-unsaturated ketones can serve as synthetic precursors for various downstream chemical products. The major inherent challenges with this chemical oxidation are chemo- and regio-selectivity as well as environmental concerns, i.e. catalyst recycle, safety and cost. U ...

... Mesoporous silica-encapsulated Pt (Pt@mSiO₂) and PtSn (PtSn@mSiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) are representatives of a novel class of heterogeneous catalysts with uniform particle size, enhanced catalytic properties, and superior thermal stability. In the ship-in-a-bottle synthesis, PtSn@mSiO₂ intermetallic NPs are derived from Pt@mSiO₂ seeds where the mSiO₂ shell is formed by polymerization of tetraethy ...

... Circulation patterns associated with cold events over East Asia during the winter months of 1948–2014 are classified into four regimes by applying a k-means clustering method based on the area-weighted pattern correlation. The earliest precursor signals for two regimes are anticyclonic anomalies, which evolve into Ural and central Siberian blocking-like circulation patterns. The earliest precursor ...

... The aims of this study were to assess the psocids that potentially carry Rickettsia and to characterize Rickettsia species. We collected booklice from dried fragments of Chinese medicinal herbs for retail. Species identification and Rickettsia detection were performed by using nondestructive DNA extraction method and PCR. Of the 224 booklice samples collected, the following species were identified ...

... Carbon dots (CDs) have sparked tremendous attention due to their unique properties and vast potential in diverse fields. Herein, we report a green and cost-effective hydrothermal route for the synthesis of a series of CDs from readily available organics solvents. Since the organics were completely recyclable after the separation of CDs, this method holds immense potential for the large-scale synth ...

... Thallium (Tl), an extremely toxic heavy metal, has received much less attention than other toxic heavy metals such as Hg, Cd, and Pb. To date, Tl pollution control studies have usually focused on its removal only, while very few studies have explored its recovery from wastewater. In this study, a magnetite (Fe3O4)-mediated reversible adsorption-desorption process for the removal and recovery of Tl ...

... Intermetallic compounds are unique catalyst platforms for mechanistic studies and industrial applications, because of their ordered structures in comparison to random alloys. Despite the intrinsically defined stoichiometry of intermetallic compounds, compositional deviations can still occur in intermetallic catalysts. The location of the extra metal atoms could differ the catalytic properties of i ...

... We report palladium(ii)-functionalized MOF-253 (MOF-253-Pd(OAc)₂) as a recyclable catalyst to form all-carbon quaternary centers via conjugate additions of arylboronic acids to β,β-disubstituted enones in aqueous media. We demonstrate MOF-253-Pd(OAc)₂ can be reused 8 times to form ketone products in yields above 75% while maintaining its crystallinity. Additions of a range of stereoelectronically ...

... In this research, magnetite and ethylenediamine-N,N′-disuccinic acid (EDDS) are used in a heterogeneous photo-Fenton system in order to find a new way to remove organic contaminants from water. Influence of different parameters including magnetite dosage, EDDS concentration, H₂O₂ concentration, and pH value were evaluated. The effect of different radical species including HO· and HO₂ ·/O₂ ·⁻ was i ...

... Tandem catalysis, often inspired by biological systems, offers many advantages in the synthesis of highly functionalized small molecules. NH₂-grafted porous C₃N₄ nanosheet with rich N species and surface area of 138 m²/g was fabricated via a NH₃-exfoliation method. After supporting Pd nanoparticles, the resulting bifunctional catalyst (Pd/C₃N₄–NH₂) could catalyze a one-step tandem condensation-hyd ...

... Hollow carbon nanostructures are emerging as advanced electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to the effective usage of active sites and the reduced dependence on expensive noble metals. Conventional preparation of these hollow structures is achieved through templates (e.g. SiO₂, CdS, and Ni₃C), which serve to retain the void interiors during carbonization, leading to an essen ...

... Atomically ordered intermetallic nanoparticles (iNPs) have sparked considerable interest in fuel cell applications by virtue of their exceptional electronic and structural properties. However, the synthesis of small iNPs in a controllable manner remains a formidable challenge because of the high temperature generally required in the formation of intermetallic phases. Here we report a general metho ...

... Superhydrophobic/hydrophobic nanofibrous networks have attracted much attention because of their potential applications in tissue engineering. Cell growth in the scaffold of tissue engineering can be controlled by the hydrophobicity of the scaffold. The superhydrophobic/hydrophobic surfaces are usually made from synthesized polymers, which generally are not biocompatible and biodegradable and, thu ...

... The interaction of guest Pt(II) ions with UiO-66–X (X = NH₂, H, NO₂, OMe, F) series metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) in aqueous solution was investigated using in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy. All of these MOFs were found to be able to coordinate with Pt(II) ions. The Pt(II) ions in UiO-66–X MOFs generally coordinate with 1.6–2.4 Cl and 1.4–2.4 N or O atoms. We also studied the time evolution ...